❓ Question regarding the WA government's response to a cane toad sighting in East Perth and the broader strategy to manage the invasive species. The Minister outlines a three-pronged approach including protecting threatened fauna, research into biological solutions, and preventing satellite populations.
AnsweredQoN 26Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CANE TOADS
— CONTROL
26. Ms E. EVANGEL to the
Minister for Environment:
I understand that a cane toad was found in an East Perth
backyard earlier this week. Can the minister please update the house on what
the Liberal–National government is doing in response to the threat posed
by this introduced pest?
— CONTROL
26. Ms E. EVANGEL to the
Minister for Environment:
I understand that a cane toad was found in an East Perth
backyard earlier this week. Can the minister please update the house on what
the Liberal–National government is doing in response to the threat posed
by this introduced pest?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Perth for the question. With regard to
how we are tackling the cane toad threat that we face in the state at the
moment, there are three main streams through which we are tackling it. One of
them is that we are making very good use of Kimberley islands to establish
populations of threatened fauna ahead of the cane toad wave, which is advancing
at about 50 kilometres a year, to ensure that we have good genetic banks of
some of our threatened fauna in the Kimberley. The second element that we are
putting our resources into in our cane toad strategy is that we are doing
research proposals into landscape-scale solutions—something along the
lines of a biological solution to the cane toad problem, acknowledging that we
have not yet found one since 1935, or perhaps even a 1080-style solution, which
we previously found through the Western Shield program. The final prong of our
cane toad strategy—the Liberal–National government has so far
put $7.8 million into this area—is to prevent the establishment of
satellite populations in other regions of the state. Since 2009, the cane toads
have crossed over the border around Kununurra and, as I have said, have been
advancing ever since. However, we are hoping that they will not be able to
reach the south west, and one thing that we certainly want to make sure of is
that they do not establish satellite populations down here.
What we saw on Monday, which the member for Perth alluded to
in her question, was that a couple was sitting down in East Perth in the
evening and they saw a cane toad jumping along their lawn and under their
table. They responded very quickly. In fact, their response was absolutely
textbook, and I want to congratulate that couple.
Mr T.R. Buswell : A
three iron!
Mr A.P. JACOB : No,
Treasurer. They did not kill the toad, and we certainly do not want people to
kill a toad in the first instance, and I will explain why in just a second.
They captured the toad, suspecting that it may have been a cane toad, and put
it in a bucket. They called the wildlife hotline , 1800 44 WILD, the
Department of Parks and Wildlife —
Mr
B.S. Wyatt : What is it?
Mr A.P. JACOB : It
is 1800 44 WILD, or 9453, member. The Department of Parks and Wildlife came out
and confirmed that it was a cane toad —
Mr T.R. Buswell :
And killed it!
Mr
A.P. JACOB : That is this afternoon, Treasurer; I will get to that.
They doorknocked neighbouring
residences, searched the yards and distributed information to neighbours.
Mr B.S. Wyatt interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Victoria Park, I call you to order for the third time.
Mr A.P. JACOB : We
believe that was the only one in that area. I want to congratulate the
department for its swift response. This is where our latest aspect of the cane
toad strategy comes into play. In four weeks, Reggie, our new cane toad sniffer
dog, will be —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members!
Mr A.P. JACOB : I
know there is a humorous element to this, but it is a very serious issue.
Anybody who has been through the Northern Territory or Queensland and seen what
the cane toad can do will know why we do not want satellite populations
establishing in the south west. They pop up about once every six months. The
quicker we can respond, the better, and the more effectively we can declare an
area clear, the better. That is where the new cane toad dog comes in handy. In
four weeks he will be commissioned and he will be based in Kununurra. However,
if we find a cane toad, as we did in the East Perth example, the cane toad dog
will have a key part to play in searching the area so that we can declare that
it is cane toad–free afterwards. I know it is fun to have a bit of a
laugh about this, but I again say that it was very important that those
residents did not kill the cane toad in the first instance—as I said,
their response was absolutely textbook—because our native fauna has
another threat with the advancement of the cane toad. We have a lot of native
frogs and toads that look a lot like cane toads. They are already under threat
in their own habitat from the cane toads. We certainly do not want people
killing our own threatened fauna after mistakenly identifying them as cane
toads.
I encourage members and, indeed,
residents in Perth, not just in the Kimberley, to download the cane toad app,
which provides an easy way of identification. We have even found cane toads as
far afield as the member for Collie–Preston's electorate. We
found one in Ballajura last January. They are popping up in the south west, and
we certainly encourage people to be diligent, to identify them and to call the
Department of Parks and Wildlife if they think they have spotted a cane toad.
how we are tackling the cane toad threat that we face in the state at the
moment, there are three main streams through which we are tackling it. One of
them is that we are making very good use of Kimberley islands to establish
populations of threatened fauna ahead of the cane toad wave, which is advancing
at about 50 kilometres a year, to ensure that we have good genetic banks of
some of our threatened fauna in the Kimberley. The second element that we are
putting our resources into in our cane toad strategy is that we are doing
research proposals into landscape-scale solutions—something along the
lines of a biological solution to the cane toad problem, acknowledging that we
have not yet found one since 1935, or perhaps even a 1080-style solution, which
we previously found through the Western Shield program. The final prong of our
cane toad strategy—the Liberal–National government has so far
put $7.8 million into this area—is to prevent the establishment of
satellite populations in other regions of the state. Since 2009, the cane toads
have crossed over the border around Kununurra and, as I have said, have been
advancing ever since. However, we are hoping that they will not be able to
reach the south west, and one thing that we certainly want to make sure of is
that they do not establish satellite populations down here.
What we saw on Monday, which the member for Perth alluded to
in her question, was that a couple was sitting down in East Perth in the
evening and they saw a cane toad jumping along their lawn and under their
table. They responded very quickly. In fact, their response was absolutely
textbook, and I want to congratulate that couple.
Mr T.R. Buswell : A
three iron!
Mr A.P. JACOB : No,
Treasurer. They did not kill the toad, and we certainly do not want people to
kill a toad in the first instance, and I will explain why in just a second.
They captured the toad, suspecting that it may have been a cane toad, and put
it in a bucket. They called the wildlife hotline , 1800 44 WILD, the
Department of Parks and Wildlife —
Mr
B.S. Wyatt : What is it?
Mr A.P. JACOB : It
is 1800 44 WILD, or 9453, member. The Department of Parks and Wildlife came out
and confirmed that it was a cane toad —
Mr T.R. Buswell :
And killed it!
Mr
A.P. JACOB : That is this afternoon, Treasurer; I will get to that.
They doorknocked neighbouring
residences, searched the yards and distributed information to neighbours.
Mr B.S. Wyatt interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Victoria Park, I call you to order for the third time.
Mr A.P. JACOB : We
believe that was the only one in that area. I want to congratulate the
department for its swift response. This is where our latest aspect of the cane
toad strategy comes into play. In four weeks, Reggie, our new cane toad sniffer
dog, will be —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members!
Mr A.P. JACOB : I
know there is a humorous element to this, but it is a very serious issue.
Anybody who has been through the Northern Territory or Queensland and seen what
the cane toad can do will know why we do not want satellite populations
establishing in the south west. They pop up about once every six months. The
quicker we can respond, the better, and the more effectively we can declare an
area clear, the better. That is where the new cane toad dog comes in handy. In
four weeks he will be commissioned and he will be based in Kununurra. However,
if we find a cane toad, as we did in the East Perth example, the cane toad dog
will have a key part to play in searching the area so that we can declare that
it is cane toad–free afterwards. I know it is fun to have a bit of a
laugh about this, but I again say that it was very important that those
residents did not kill the cane toad in the first instance—as I said,
their response was absolutely textbook—because our native fauna has
another threat with the advancement of the cane toad. We have a lot of native
frogs and toads that look a lot like cane toads. They are already under threat
in their own habitat from the cane toads. We certainly do not want people
killing our own threatened fauna after mistakenly identifying them as cane
toads.
I encourage members and, indeed,
residents in Perth, not just in the Kimberley, to download the cane toad app,
which provides an easy way of identification. We have even found cane toads as
far afield as the member for Collie–Preston's electorate. We
found one in Ballajura last January. They are popping up in the south west, and
we certainly encourage people to be diligent, to identify them and to call the
Department of Parks and Wildlife if they think they have spotted a cane toad.
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